The Last Griffin
by Charmeleon
Summary: Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh. My mind kept telling me to do a YGO one-shot, and here it is. Full summary inside.
1. Default Chapter

I know I said that I would be updating Someone's Always Out to get Me first, but the idea for a YGO one-shot wouldn't stop plaguing my mind. In this one-shot, Yami is the last griffin of his kind. Griffins were hated and feared due to false rumors that spread through the lands, and Yami was the last survivor. His life greatly changes when he meets Yugi, a female hunter's son.  
/ is Yugi mental talk  
// is Yami mental talk  
' is thoughts  
  
  
  
  
  
The Last Griffin  
  
A lone male human figure sat in a forest watching the birds roam freely through the sky. It seemed normal except for two things. The first thing is that the forest is enchanted, and the second thing is that there is more to this human than meets the eye. This human is actually a griffin which has the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. His name is Yami. He is the last of his kind, but he would've been killed as well if not for the gods giving him the ability to turn into a human.  
  
| Flashback |  
  
One thousand years ago, there was an enchanted forest that griffins roamed in and lived with the other creatures and some humans in peace. Rumors had been spread that griffins are bloodthirsty killers who can take someone out in a heartbeat had scared many humans. Those humans tended to search and kill the griffins before the griffins killed them.  
Those rumors were never true. Griffins were actually very peaceful and friendly creatures. They always tried to make friends and would never hurt anyone unless they were attacked. The creatures of the enchanted forest loved the griffins very much and have lived with them in harmony for centuries. The forest protected the griffins and everyone who lived there from those who intended to harm them. No one with the intention of harming a griffin could see the forest.  
Romous, leader of the griffins lived with his wife Adema and his son Yami in the center of the enchanted forest. They ruled over the griffins with patience, wisdow, love, honor, justice and respect. The griffins and other creatures of the forest couldn't have been any happier.  
"You're learning the ways of ruling fast my son," Romous said.  
"Yes, but I don't want to be ruler until you die father," Yami said. "Why do the humans fear us?" he added.  
"They don't understand creatures that are different from any human or animal my son. They perceive us wrongly because of their fears. This forest keeps us safe from anyone who intends to hurt us. Even though we do have a few human friends living here, most humans think that the ones here were taken prisoner," Romous responded.  
"I wish that we could do something to help those who fear us realize that there's nothing to fear," Adema said.  
"I do too my dear, but most humans refuse to understand a creature totally different from the rest. There's not much we or our human friends here can do," Romous said.  
As the years passed, the fear and hatred that most humans had for griffins continued to grow. The griffin race slowly began to die off because they were being killed while away from the forest. For their safety, the griffins were ordered to stay in the forest. But that became harder and harder as time went by. Aching to roam outside the forest, some griffins went out. They never returned because they were shot out of the sky and killed.  
"This is too much father. It's only the three of us now," Yami said.  
"I know son. I shouldn't have ordered for all of us to stay here. Roaming outside the forest is in our blood, and it was hard for most of us to stay where it's safe," Romous said.  
"And our human friends are devastated even more than we are about this. I worry about them," Adema said.  
"Let's worry about that tomorrow. It's getting late and we should all rest," Romous said.  
Yami felt that something wasn't right in the forest. While his parents slept, he secretly went off to the lake that he's been around since his birth to think. It was a good or not good thing he was at the lake because two outside predators came into the forest.  
Animals don't have intentions, just instincts and that's why they can get into just about any area. These predators were hungry wolves. They came in the forest and attacked Romous and Adema. Romous and Adema fought back the best they could using the lion half of their bodies, but the wolves' sneak attack drained most of their energy.  
Yami returned from the lake a few hours later. The sight that greeted him horrified him. Lying on the floor in a large combined pool of blood were the dead bodies of his parents. He looked at the marred bodies and saw that there were teeth marks all over the bodies suggesting that a predator attacked them. Not being able to take both of his parents' deaths, he ran out of the forest and right into a circle of humans. They fired their arrows without second thought.  
Yami dodged their fire and took to the air. He managed to dodge most of the arrows. An hour later, one hunter finally shot him down. Just before the final blow, a weird light engulfed Yami and lifted him up. The arrow in his wing disappeared, and his wing healed. Then, he disappeared and reappeared back in the forest.  
"What was that?" Yami asked.  
"I am Artemis young Yami," a female voice responded.  
"What happened?" Yami asked.  
"You are under my protection now Yami," Artemis responded as she appeared in front of him. "I know that you'll want to go out of this forest even if I tell you not to. Don't fret though; I will assure your safety," she added.  
Yami felt a golden light engulf him. He felt like he was changing into something. When the light dissipated, he felt himself standing on two legs. He was very confused.  
"Why am I standing on two legs?" he asked.  
Artemis made a mirror appear in front of Yami. He saw that he was now human. The red, black and blonde feathers that used to be on his head were now a mass of spiky hair. He had blonde bangs down his face and a few bangs in the black part of his hair. Red outlines on the spiked tips completed his hair. His eyes didn't change too much because they were still slanted, giving a more mature look and violet. He also saw that he was wearing clothes now. He wore the clothing of a Greek hunter.  
"Why am I a human?" he asked.  
"I made you human so you wouldn't have to worry about being hunted every time you went out into the forest. Don't worry; you can change back into a griffin whenever you want. I have also given you the ability to heal. There is one more ability that I've given you, but you will find that out when the time comes," she responded.  
  
| End of Flashback |  
  
Ever since then, Yami used his ability to become human whenever he left the forest. Like Artemis said, he wasn't hunted because no one outside the enchanted forest knew that he was truly the griffin that escaped. He was very lonely because his human friends have all died. The few humans had generations that lasted for 600 years, but it finally came to an end. The other creatures of the forest did their best to give him company, but it wasn't enough. They knew that he needed a human friend now that he could become human. Yami became a griffin again as he continued watching the birds.  
'I wish I had a human friend,' Yami thought sadly. He didn't know that fate was finally going to grant his wish after 400 years of loneliness.  
In Athens, about 10 miles east of the enchanted forest lived a young boy. He lived with his mother Adella who was a hunter. His father Titus, who was a sailor, died when pirates attacked his ship. This young boy's name was Yugi. He was short at 4'8" with wide child-like violet eyes and red, blacka and blonde hair. All his bangs lined his face instead of having a few of them be streaked up in the main part of his hair like Yami. Even though he was short, he was 16 years of age.  
"I'm hungry mom," Yugi said.  
"All right honey, I'll bag us some dinner," Adella said before getting bow and arrows. Then she left to kill something for dinner.  
Yugi really didn't like seeing things get killed so he always stayed home whenever his mother went hunting. He was currently in his mother's room looking at all the animal heads that she always hung on the wall. A painting on the wall caught his eye. He went over and looked at it. He could only stare in awe. It was the painting of a griffin with red, black and blonde feathers on its head. He had never seen anything so amazing or majestic before.  
'I'll have to ask mom about this when she returns,' Yugi thought.  
An hour later, Adella returned with a deer. The deer did its best to get away, but Adella was too skilled and easily killed it.  
"What's this painting about mom?" Yugi asked, pointing to the wall.  
"This painting has hung here for 700 years. My grandfather told me of how his ancestors failed to kill the last griffin in existence," Adella responded.  
"Why would they want to kill it? It looks so peaceful," Yugi said.  
"Looks can be deceiving Yugi. Griffins are very dangerous. They kill anything without a second thought," Adella said.  
"I don't think that they would kill anyone unless it came to having to do it to defend themselves," Yugi said.  
"Who told you that?" Adella asked.  
"I keep having a dream about the true nature of griffins. In my dreams, they were always peaceful and easy to get along with," Yugi said.  
"Well, they're only dreams Yugi. I don't think there are any griffins left, and I hope there aren't any. If a griffin were to come near you, I would kill it before it could hurt you," Adella said. She cooked the meat from the dead deer's body, and she and Yugi ate lunch in silence.  
"Can I go out for a walk?" Yugi asked an hour later.  
"Sure son. Be careful okay," Adella said.  
"I will," Yugi said as he walked out the house.  
The weather was just gorgeous. It was lukewarm with a very clear and very blue sky. Yugi was just aching to get outside to enjoy the beautiful weather. He usually took a northernly track, but he wanted to go west this time. About half an hour later, he came across a magnificent forest. The greenery seemed endless. Being very curious about what was inside, he went in to look around.  
'This is amazing,' Yugi thought as he walked through the forest. An hour later, he reached the center. He stopped when he spotted the griffin from the painting on his mother's wall.  
The painting couldn't come close to how majestic the griffin looked in person. Yugi wanted to get close to the griffin, hoping to make a new friend. The griffin heard his footsteps and turned. It saw Yugi and quickly got up. Then it ran off in fright.  
"Please wait! I don't want to hurt you," Yugi said trying to catch up with the griffin.  
The griffin was too fast, and Yugi lost sight of it in only five minutes. He also realized that he had gotten hopelessly lost in that quick amount of time. He didn't bother paying attention to where he was going when trying to catch the griffin. He wandered around, hoping to find the way out. An hour later, he stopped at a cliff to rest. He knew that his mother would be worried sick and come looking for him. He feared for the griffin's safety if she came here. He didn't know that people with harmful intentions to the griffins could not see the forest; therefore, not knowing that it was even there.  
Yugi just looked down at the water. 'I hope I don't fall off. It looks like a very long drop, and I bet that the water is very deep. One thing I could never learn how to do is swim,' he thought.  
Meanwhile, Yami had become human and was watching Yugi safely from behind a tree. Then he heard it. The part of the cliff Yugi was on was starting to give way. Yugi heard the cliff start to give way, but he was too late to try to get off. He fell off the three hundred foot cliff and into the water below.  
Yami ran to the new edge of the cliff and dove into the water. He swam quickly and took a hold of Yugi's hand. Then Yami swam to the surface and to the sandy beach below the cliff. He put Yugi onshore and came up himself. Yugi coughed up water and opened his eyes. He saw a taller boy who looked almost exactly like him looking at him.  
"Are you all right?" the boy asked with a deep voice.  
"I am now, but who are you?" Yugi asked.  
"My name is Yami," the boy responded. "Who are you?" he added.  
"I'm Yugi," Yugi responded.  
"Are you lost?" Yami asked.  
"Yes I am, and my mother's probably looking for me even as we speak," Yugi responded.  
"What is your mother?" Yami asked.  
"My mother is a hunter," Yugi responded.  
Yami grew nervous, but kept it oblivious to Yugi. "I can help you out," he said.  
"How can you? Aren't you lost too?" Yugi asked.  
"I'm not lost because I live here," Yami responded. "Let's get you out of here," he added.  
Yugi nodded, and Yami led him out the back way. The back way was the quickest way out of the forest, and they were out in an hour. While making their way out of the forest, they had a conversation with each other. Yami didn't tell Yugi that he was a griffin yet because he still wanted to keep that secret. He did just make his first friend in 400 years after all.  
"Thanks for your help Yami," Yugi said.  
"No problem Yugi," Yami said.  
"I hope we can see each other again," Yugi said.  
"I hope so too Yugi," Yami said smiling before going back into the forest. 'Don't worry Yugi. We'll be seeing each other again soon,' he thought.  
Yugi made it back home an hour later. As he expected, his mother was worried sick about him.  
"My god, Yugi where have you been?" Adella asked.  
"I got lost in a forest mom. I would've still been lost if it weren't for Yami," Yugi responded.  
"Who's Yami?" Adella asked.  
"He's my new friend. He lives in the forest and helped me find my way out," Yugi responded. "I was amazed to find out that he looks almost exactly like me," he added.  
"Well Yami is welcome in this house if he wants to see you. That's the least I can do to thank him for getting you safely out of that forest," Adella said.  
Meanwhile, Yami was talking to Artemis in the forest.  
"I finally found a human friend after 400 years," Yami said happily.  
"You couldn't have made friends with a better person Yami. His soul is pure and innocent," Artemis said.  
"I felt his purity but I don't want to tell him my secret yet," Yami said.  
"It's what his mother is that's bothering you," Artemis said.  
"Yes," Yami said.  
"Just tell him the whole story Yami. If you want him to keep it a secret then just tell him," Artemis said.  
"I don't know Artemis," Yami said.  
"You can at least think about it," Artemis said.  
"I'll do that," Yami said before Artemis disappeared.  
His mind and heart were going different ways. His mind told him to keep that secret while his heart told him to tell Yugi his secret. He didn't know what to do. Even though he was pretty sure that Yugi would keep the secret, the mother was a different story. He was pretty sure that Yugi's mother would kill him if she found out that he was really a griffin.  
'I think I'll follow Yugi home tomorrow,' Yami thought.  
It was already dark, and Yami turned back into a griffin before lying down and going to sleep. He had his first peaceful sleep in 400 years. After the last generation of humans in the forest died, he always wished for a human friend, even in his sleep. Now, he finally met one and made friends. The next day, Yugi went toward the forest after breakfast. He really wanted to see Yami again.  
'I hope Yami's there,' Yugi thought as he arrived and entered the forest.  
This time, Yami felt Yugi's presence in the forest and quickly turned into a human before Yugi reached his area. He then climbed a nearby tree to get some fruit to eat because he was hungry. It was then that Yugi showed up.  
"Yami, are you here?" Yugi asked.  
"Hold on a second Yugi. I'll be right down," Yami responded before climbing down the tree.  
"What were you doing up there?" Yugi asked.  
"I was just getting some fruit to eat," Yami responded. "You want some?" he added.  
"Sure," Yugi responded as Yami gave him two pieces of fruit.  
After eating the fruit, Yami showed Yugi around the forest. Yugi noticed there were quite a few spots that were good for when you wanted to be alone as well as some good spots to watch the sun rise and set as well as the birds and other animals that lived there roam around. A few hours later, the tour came to an end as Yugi had to return home.  
"I'll see you another time Yami," Yugi said when he was out of the forest. He then walked for home.  
'And I'll see you a little longer Yugi,' Yami thought before changing back into a griffin. He took to the air to silently follow Yugi.   
Half an hour later, he saw Yugi enter the house. Satisfied with knowing where Yugi lived, Yami flew back to the forest.  
"How was your visit with Yami?" Adella asked.  
"It was great mom. Yami showed me around the forest. It is very beautiful. You'll have to see it one day," he responded.  
"Maybe I will see it one day," Adella said.  
Back in the forest, Yami was confused about the feeling he was getting to protect Yugi. He only knew Yugi for two days, but in the two days, he felt the urge to protect Yugi grow stronger snd stronger. 'Maybe Artemis is right. Maybe I should tell Yugi what I truly am,' Yami thought.  
Over the next three months, Yugi and Yami had gotten closer in friendship. Yami was still too nervous to tell Yugi that he [Yami] was a griffin. Yami had been over Yugi's house quite a few times in those three months too. Adella was thrilled to have Yami there because Yugi was a lot happier with Yami around. To her, it was like they were destined to meet each other.  
Two weeks later, Yugi went to visit Yami in the forest again. This time, Yami wasn't aware of Yugi's presence because he frolicked around with the unicorns. Yami was still a griffin because he didn't know that Yugi was there. Yugi just stood there watching the griffin play with the unicorns. Yami just happened to turn around; that's when he saw Yugi. This time, he didn't run off. He walked over to Yugi. Yugi gently stroked his head, making him [Yami] coo. Just then, a painless shock when through both of them.  
/I wonder what that was/ Yugi thought, not knowing that he just spoke to Yami.  
Yami was confused. He knew he heard Yugi, but Yugi didn't move his mouth. 'Okay, this is weird,' he thought. He concentrated to speak with Yugi through his mind. //Yugi//  
'That's strange. I heard Yami, but he's not here,' Yugi thought. /Can you hear me Yami?/  
//Yes I can//  
/How are we able to do this?/  
//I don't know the answer to that//  
/Where are you?/  
//I just want to be alone right now. Now that we have some kind of mental link, we can mentally stay close//  
/Okay Yami/  
'I hate to lie to him, but I don't feel like it's time to tell him yet,' Yami thought.  
'This is weird, but great. Now Yami and I can always talk to one another,' Yugi thought.  
Yami went back to playing with the unicorns. Yugi just watched the unicorns and the griffin have a good time. An hour later, Yugi went off by himself. Yami was having so much fun, that he failed to notice Yugi go into the dangerous area of the forest. Half an hour later, the unicorns moved on. Yami looked back to where he last saw Yugi only to find him no longer there.  
'I wonder where he went,' Yami thought. He then caught a sweet scent still on the gentle breeze. 'Hmm, that smells like vanilla shampoo. Yugi probably washed his hair with it,' he thought. He followed the smell and gasped when he saw where the smell was leading. 'Oh no!' he thought desperately before taking to the air in hopes of finding Yugi in time.  
Meanwhile, Yugi really regretted his decision in going off on his own. The area of the forest he went in was dark and ominous looking. He was unaware that a dangerous creature followed him. A rustle of the bushes alerted Yugi that something followed him. He seriously hoped that it was the griffin. What he saw was something far from a griffin. It was a fire-breathing dragon. Unlike most dragons he read about in stories, this one didn't have wings. This dragon was one of the very few kinds that couldn't fly.  
The dragon fired at Yugi. Yugi got out of the way with only seconds to spare. He began to run with the dragon chasing and firing at him.  
//Yugi!//  
/Yami, help me!/  
//Where are you?//  
/I'm being chased by a fire-breathing dragon/  
//I'm sending help. Just try to hang in there// Yami flew on, knowing where the dragon was. 'I hope I'm in time,' he thought.  
An hour later, Yugi stopped at a different cliff. This time, there wasn't water at the bottom. He couldn't see the bottom at all, meaning that this cliff had a much longer drop than the last one. It was a bittersweet situation; he couldn't see the bottom, but he couldn't see the jagged rocks below because of it. He turned and saw the dragon approach him, ready to either burn him or force him off the cliff.  
The dragon gave one more blast of fire. Yugi got out of the fire's path, but that made him back up enough to fall over the edge of the cliff. He only hoped that whatever help Yami was sending could fly because he had a feeling that the only way he would get out of this situation was through something or someone who could fly.  
Yami had gotten to the cliff a few moments after Yugi went over. He dove after Yugi to catch him in time. Yugi fell fast; so fast, that it didn't seem natural even though he fell through the air. Yami flew down even faster. He really appreciated his self-training sessions. He wasn't the least bit tired even though he flew down at a pretty good speed. After what seemed like an eternity, Yami finally caught Yugi on his back and began flying back up.  
Yugi felt that he sat on something furry and opened his eyes. He saw that he was on a lion's back. When he looked up further, he saw an eagle head. Realization hit him like a ton of bricks; Yami sent the griffin to help. This was so much for Yugi, that he fainted on the griffin's back.  
Yami looked back at Yugi and smiled. 'This was probably too much for him,' he thought. He reached the top of the cliff an hour later and flew back to Yugi's house. He reached the house in two hours. He landed a good 100 feet away so Yugi's mother wouldn't spot him.  
Yugi was still out from shock. Yami turned into a human. He had Yugi in his arms and he walked to the door of the house. He knocked on the door, and Adella answered. She was very concerned when she saw Yugi.  
"What happened?" Adella asked.  
"He had a horrifying experience today. He was almost singed by a dragon. I'm lucky that the help I sent him found him in time," Yami responded.  
"Thank you so much for saving him," Adella said.  
"Don't mention it," Yami said before setting Yugi on the bed and heading back toward the forest. He turned back into a griffin the moment he entered the forest. //Don't worry Yugi. I'll protect you from whatever dangers come your way//  
Yugi heard Yami in his mind just as he [Yugi] regained consciousness. /Thank you Yami, the griffin saved my life/  
//It was nothing. I'm just glad that it found you in time// 'I'm glad that I found you in time,' he secretly added.  
"Are you all right Yugi?" Adella asked.  
"I am thanks to Yami," Yugi said. He was afraid to tell her that a griffin saved his life. He didn't want the griffin to be killed.  
"Something bothering you?" Adella asked.  
"I just don't know how you will take what kind of help Yami sent me," Yugi responded.  
"Why is that? What did he send to help you?" Adella asked.  
"He sent a griffin to help me. The dragon chased me to a cliff. It fired at me; I dodged but I also backed up too much and fell over the edge. If it wasn't for the griffin, I would've fallen to my death," Yugi responded.  
Adella was simply dumbfounded. She had been told how dangerous griffins were, but her son just told her that a griffin saved his life. She didn't know what to believe now. "I don't know what to believe about griffins now," she said.  
"Please believe me. Griffins don't tend to be violent. They only fight when they're attacked," Yugi said.  
"I don't know son. I still believe that griffins are dangerous. Now that you told me that there is one, I want you not to go near it," she said.  
She was unaware that Yugi planned on doing the exact opposite. The griffin he met didn't do a thing to harm him. He wanted to see it as much as he could. I did save his life after all. He knew that a dangerous griffin wouldn't have bothered to save him, but this one saved him without a second thought.  
Back in the forest, Yami was still trying to figure out how he and Yugi were able to talk mentally. "Artemis, how can Yugi and I mentally take to each other now?" he asked.  
"You know of the secret ability I told you that you have. Well, this is it. You and Yugi have the ability to talk mentally. When Yugi petted you, the ability awakened within both of you. You wished for a human friend after the ones in the forest died. I decided to let you talk mentally with the first human friend you made," Artemis responded.  
"Well I'm very grateful to be able to mentally talk to him," Yami said smiling. 'The time to tell Yugi what I really am draws nearer. That is unless he finds out before I tell him,' he thought.  
Meanwhile, Yugi was thinking about one particular thing about the griffin. He was confused on how the griffin had its head feathers the same colors as his and Yami's hair. 'It seems to me that the griffin and Yami might be more than friends,' he thought. He didn't know how close he was to figuring out that Yami was the griffin.  
The head feathers on the griffin and Yami's hair were exactly alike.  
/Yami?/  
//Yes//  
/How do you know the griffin?/  
//He and I are very close// 'Closer than you think,' he secretly added.  
/Do you think he would want to be my friend?/  
//I know that he would really love to be your friend//  
/I don't know how or why, but my heart is telling me that you're hiding something from me/  
Yami sighed at that. 'I figured that he would ask me about that,' he thought. //What would you like to know?//  
/I'd like to know the truth Yami/  
//So be it. I said the griffin and I are very close. The truth is that I am the griffin//  
/You're joking right?/  
//No Yugi, I'm not//  
/How can you be the griffin? You're human every time I see you/  
//That's because you don't see me change back and forth//  
/I still don't believe you/  
//Believe what you want. I'm not lying to you this time. Yugi, I am the griffin//  
Yugi still wouldn't believe that Yami was the griffin. He just couldn't see a human turning into a griffin. 'Well, there's only one way to find out,' he thought. 'I'll go see him tomorrow.'  
As the day went on, Yugi was still trying to find out how Yami could possibly be the griffin. The next day, he went into the forest that afternoon while his mother was out hunting. When he reached the center, he saw the griffin waiting for him to arrive.  
'Well, here goes nothing,' Yugi thought. "Yami?" he asked.  
"Yes Yugi," the griffin responded in the same deep voice as Yami.  
"You are the griffin," Yugi said in awe.  
"I told you Yugi; I wasn't lying to you when I told you that I was the griffin. That time when we first mentally talked to each other, I lied to you by saying I was somewhere alone. As you now know, I was playing with the unicorns," Yami said.  
"So you saved me from my fall," Yugi said.  
"Yes I did," Yami said.  
"Thank you," Yugi said smiling.  
"You're welcome," Yami said smiling. "Would you like to go for a ride?" he added.  
"Sure," Yugi responded. He got onto Yami's back and firmly gripped some of Yami's feathers.  
"You have a good hold?" Yami asked.  
Yugi nodded.  
"Okay, here we go," Yami said as he ran off through the forest.  
Some of the unicorns joined him as he took Yugi into the safe areas of the forest. Yugi loved riding on Yami. After an hour of running, Yami leapt into the air and flew over the forest. Yugi was awestruck now. The forest looked a lot more amazing from high in the air. From the air, the forest looked like something that you would see in a painting, but much more detailed than a painting could ever be.  
"This is amazing Yami," Yugi said.  
"I'm glad you like it," Yami said.  
"Your secret is safe with me. I won't tell anyone you're a griffin," Yugi said.  
"I would really appreciate that," Yami said. He flew on for two hours before heading back for Yugi's house. He landed a hundred feet away, and Yugi got off his back. "I hope to see you soon," he said.  
"So do I. I never had a friend as unique as you," Yugi said smiling.  
Yami flew back to the forest, and Yugi entered his home. To his luck, his mother didn't return yet. He knew not to tell her that Yami was the griffin, even though she most likely wouldn't have believed him anyway.  
'Don't worry Yami. I won't tell anyone you're the griffin,' Yugi thought.  
He and Yami were unaware of the danger that would soon take place. A lone hunter had seen Yami as a griffin and went to tell his colleagues at a hunting lodge. Fortunately, he didn't know that Yami could turn into a human so Yami had a good chance of escaping any hunter that tried to kill him while out of the forest.  
"I saw a real griffin. While I was out looking for a goat, I heard a young boy talking. I went to investigate and I saw him with a griffin," the hunter said.  
"The boy could be in danger. We must take out that griffin before it can harm him or anyone," a second hunter said.  
"I don't think that would be wise. The boy looked peaceful with that griffin," the first hunter said.  
"That could be an act. Looks are deceiving," a third hunter said.  
The first hunter confidently believed that the young boy did not just act peaceful around the griffin. Even the griffin looked very peaceful, friendly to be more precise. He knew one thing; he would not take part in the killing of the griffin. He left to warn the young boy about the danger that the griffin was in.  
Yugi just happened to be outside sitting on the porch when the hunter showed up. "May I help you?" he asked.  
"I've come to warn you about the danger your griffin friend is in," the hunter responded.  
"Let's go into the forest. My friend will surely want to know too," Yugi said quietly. He didn't want his mother to hear.  
Yugi and the hunter went to the forest. The forest's beauty amazed the hunter. He heard the stories of the enchanted forest from the friends of those who actually lived in the forest. He greatly respected and worshipped Artemis and wouldn't dare go against her wishes. They reached the center in an hour and saw Yami just lying down.  
"It's incredible," the hunter said.  
Yami turned around and saw the hunter. Not used to being around anyone except Yugi as a griffin, Yami stood up quickly and prepared to run.  
"It's all right Yami. This hunter means you no harm," Yugi said.  
Yami calmed down and walked over to them. "Who are you?" he asked the hunter.  
"My name is Almont. I've come to warn you that my colleagues intend to kill you. You're safe as long as you stay in here," the hunter responded, hiding his surprise that the griffin could talk.  
"Not necessarily; I'm safe when I'm outside the forest too," Yami said.  
"How?" Almont asked.  
"I'll show you how," Yami responded. He turned into a human before Almont's eyes.  
"If I didn't see it, I wouldn't have believed it. You truly are safe," Almont said.  
"I become human as soon as I leave this forest. For the most part, I don't turn back into a griffin until I'm back in the forest. But when taking Yugi home, I make an exception. I land out of sight because his mother also still thinks that I'm dangerous and will not hesitate to kill me," Yami said before changing back into a griffin.  
Just then, a herd of unicorns came by. They circled around Yami.  
"Greetings my friends. Would one of you give this man next to Yugi a ride?" Yami said.  
One of the unicorns went over next to Almont, and Almont got on. Yugi got on Yami's back. Then Yami and the unicorns galloped off. Meanwhile, Adella wondered where her son could be. She went off to the hunting lodge to aske if they kneew where he was.  
"Have you seen Yugi? I can't find him," Adella said.  
"I'm afraid not. Almont is not here either," the second hunter said.  
"He said something about seeing Yugi with a griffin," a third hunter said.  
"Where are they?" Adella asked.  
"We don't know. They could be anywhere," the second hunter responded.  
"Thank you anyway," Adella said. She went back home. 'You've got some explaining to do Yugi. I told you not to be around the griffin,' she thought angrily.  
Meanwhile, Yugi and Almont had a marvelous time as Yami and the unicorn ran on through the forest.  
"This is so amazing. I've heard stories about this forest. This is the first time I've been here. The stories I heard about this place are absolutely true," Almont said in awe.  
A few hours later, Yami and the unicorn took Yugi and Almont out of the forest. They were out three hours later.  
"I'll see you tomorrow Yami," Yugi said as he got off Yami's back.  
"Okay Yugi and goodbye to you too Almont," Yami said.  
"Goodbye Yami, and your secret is safe with me," Almont said before dismounting the unicorn.  
Yami and the unicorn when back inside the forest. Yugi went back home, and Almont went back to the hunting lodge. Upon arriving home, Yugi saw his mother waiting on the porch. Looking closer, he saw that she was angry about something.  
"Something wrong?" Yugi asked.  
"I'd say there is young man. One of the hunters told me that his colleague saw you with the griffin you told me about. I told you not to be around him and you completely disobey me. How many times must I tell you that griffins are dangerous?" Adella responded.  
"Griffins aren't dangerous! This one is the best friend that I will ever have," Yugi countered.  
"Don't get that tone of voice with me. You forget that I'm your mother," Adella said.  
"Right now, I could care less. You won't be able to stop me from seeing the griffin again," Yugi said.  
"Yes I will. Don't ever go back to that forest again. If Yami wants to see you, he'll have to come here. Go to your room," Adella said.  
Yugi went to his room and slammed the door. He dropped on his bed and openly cried. /It's not right/ He was so devastated, that he unintentionally talked to Yami.  
//What's wrong Yugi?//  
/Almont told his his colleagues about me being with a griffin. My mother went there and found out that I was still seeing you. She told me never to be around you again, but I couldn't do that. I'm not allowed to go to the forest anymore. You'll have to come here as a human to see me/  
//Don't worry Yugi. Things will turn out good in the end. I'll always take you for rides no matter what your mother says. You disobeyed her by being with me. You can disobey her again. I'll be careful not to be seen by anyone, but you can't tell your mother that you went to the forest or you'll really be in trouble//  
/Okay Yami, thank you/  
//Anytime Yugi//  
Yugi just couldn't do what his mother told him. He disobeyed her because he followed what his heart told him. His heart told him to keep going to the forest and seeing Yami for what he truly is. His mother and many of the people in Athens still believed in false rumors. All Yugi knew was that no one would ever stop him from seeing Yami because no one except him [Yugi] and Almont knew Yami's secret.  
Yami got more worried about Yugi each time. 'I have a bad feeling that Yugi will be a target to get to me,' Yami thought. He couldn't have been more correct if he tried.  
At the lodge, a few of the hunters were planning on using Yugi as bait to capture and kill Yami. Since Almont told them that the griffin was friendly, they knew that Yugi had to be his friend. They believed Almont's story; they just didn't say anything. Yugi would be the perfect bait to get Yami to come out of hiding.  
That night, Yami had an uneasy slumber. He knew that something terrible was going to happen. The next day, Yugi stayed at home while Adella went on a hunting trip; Adella really felt bad for telling Yugi not to go back to the forest again. She instantly regretted saying that, but maternal instinct kicked in high gear when Yugi snapped at her.  
'I wonder what's with Yugi anyway. He's never snapped at me before,' Adella thought.  
Meanwhile, a group of three hunters went to Yugi's house. He was about to welcome them, but he saw an evil look in their eyes as they came closer.  
"What can I help you with?" Yugi asked nervously.  
As a response, one of the hunters grabbed him and tied him up with a thick rope. "We want the griffin. Capturing you will be our ticket into getting him to come out of wherever he's hiding," the hunter responded. Then he and the others took Yugi away.  
Adella came back an hour later to find her son gone and a note on the table.  
The note read: Adella: If you want to see your son again, then you better hope that the griffin shows up. Signed Grago.  
Adella went to the lodge immediately. She told the others what happened, and they were outraged that Grago would go as low as to kidnap a child to get the griffin. "I should've believed my son all along. This would've never happened if I did," she said.  
"You're right; this wouldn't have happened. We're sorry for not believing you Almont. You never lied to us, but our stubborn will to believe false rumors kept us from seeing the truth. We must find the griffin and tell him what happened," a hunter said.  
"Follow me," Almont said. He led them to the forest.  
This, Adella and the other hunters did see it. They went in, and Almont led them to the center. They soon saw the griffin. Yami saw the group, but didn't run off. He trusted Almont and knew that Almont would never do anything to hurt him [Yami].  
"Hello Almont," Yami said.  
Everyone except Almont was surprised to hear the griffin talk. Adella recognized the voice.  
"Yami, is that you?" she asked.  
"Yes Adella, it's me," Yami responded.  
"I would've never thought that you were the griffin. Yugi had the right to disobey me. Does he know?" Adella asked.  
"Yes he does," Yami said. He then noticed the grim looks on the others faces. "What happened?" he asked.  
"Grago kidnapped Yugi. He left a note on Adella's table telling her that she'd better hope that the griffin would show up to see Yugi again," Almont responded.   
"We don't know where they are," Adella said.  
"I can find out," Yami said.  
"How?" a third hunter asked.  
"I have a mental link with Yugi. I can use it to find out where he is. You guys head back to the lodge. I'll take care of everything and get Yugi back here safely," Yami said.  
The others nodded and went back to the ledge. Yami took to the air and flew out of the forest. He flew swift as the wind.  
//Yugi//  
/Yami?/  
//Where are you being held//  
/I'm hanging from a branch sticking out of a tall mountain about thirty miles north of the forest. Grago and his men plan to send me falling to my death if you don't come/  
//I'll give them what they want//  
/No, please don't. I'd rather die than see you die/  
//I can't just sit and do nothing Yugi. I don't want you to die. I don't care about my life// Then Yami cut off his half of the link.  
Yugi tried to plead with Yami, but he felt Yami's mental block. 'Yami, I don't want you to die,' he thought.  
Yami reached the mountain in fifteen minutes. He landed a good distance away from the hunters and and turned into a human. Then he walked up to the hunters.  
"Who are you?" Grago asked.  
"My name is Yami, but that's not important right now. What is important is that you release Yugi," Yami responded.  
"His mother got the message. He won't go free unless we see the griffin," Grago said.  
"You are nothing but a coward. You would stoop down so low as to kidnapping a child in order to get what you want. You're just like a thief," Yami said anrgrily. His eyes were glowing in anger.  
Yugi saw that Yami looked just about ready to become a griffin. /No Yami, please/  
//I have to Yugi. It's the only way//  
"Why you little smart aleck. No one compares me to a thief and gets away with it," Grago said as he armed his bow and fired at Yami.  
Yami flipped over the arrow with the greatest of ease. "You'll have to do better than that," he taunted.  
Grago got mad and ran at Yami to punch him in the face. Yami ducked the punch and puched Grago in the gut. Grago doubled over in pain, and Yami smacked him hard in the face, knocking him out. One of the two remaining hunters walked over next to the branch in the mountain; ready to cut the rope.  
/Yami/  
Yami turned around to see the hunter with the knife to the rope.  
"One step towards me, and the young one falls to his death," the hunter said.  
The other hunter took the distraction to his advantage by hitting Yami against the head with the hilt of a sword. Yami fell down unconscious. He woke up an hour later to find himself tied up beside Yugi.  
"Now the griffin will have to show up if he wants to save these two," Grago said smirking.  
//Are you all right Yugi?//  
/For the moment/  
Grago then put a knife to Yugi's neck an hour later.  
"What are you doing?" Yami asked fearfully.  
"It appears that the griffin didn't care about this young one after all," Grago said before making a deep cut in Yugi's throat. He then cut the rope.  
"Yugi!" Yami cried before glowing a golden brown color as he begun his transformation.  
The first things to come were his wings. Then his head slowly changed into an eagle's head. At the same time, his body morphed into that of a lion. The ropes that bound him broke due to his now wider body. Grago and the other two hunters smirked now that they saw that Yami was the griffin.  
"So, we had the griffin all along," Grago said. "Too bad for your friend, and too bad for you." He armed his bow with a poison arrow and fired.  
Yami flew out of the way. He was angrier than he had ever been in his life. "You demon, you would hurt your own colleague's son just to get what you want. Trash like you should spend eternal damnation in the lowest point of Tartarus," he said with anger seeping through every word. He flew down swiftly and caught Yugi on his back. He flew back up to find the hunters waiting for him to come back up.  
They aimed and fired. Yami had no way of dodging the arrows coming from three different sides. Just before contact, a white light shot down and destroyed the arrows.  
"How dare you try to harm my possession," Artemis angrily said as she appeared in the air.  
The hunters were terrified at this point.  
"We didn't know that this griffin belonged to you great Artemis," Grago said bowing.  
"Spare me your apologies. You showed just how low you are by attempting to kill this innocent child. May you and your two colleagues spend the rest of your days in Tartarus," Artemis said before killing them. She turned to Yami as he landed and turned into a human.  
Yami put his hand over the deep gash in Yugi's neck and focused his healing energy into the wound. The wound began to close up. In a few minutes, there was nothing left of the wound. It was as if the wound was never there. Yugi regained consciousness.  
"Are you all right Yugi?" Yami asked.  
Yugi sat up and hugged Yami. "I am now thanks to you," he responded.  
Yami hugged back. "Thank you Artemis," he said.  
"Grago and his flunkies deserved their punishment tenfold. I will not tolerate seeing an innocent life taken away for a selfish gain," Artemis said before disappearing.  
Yami turned back into a griffin, and Yugi got on his back. Yami flew Yugi back home. Adella and the other hunters prayed as they waited for Yugi and Yami's safe return. They gave cheers of joy and relief when Yami landed in front of the house, and Yugi dismounted Yami.  
"Yugi! Thank the gods you're safe," Adella said running to Yugi.  
"Momma!" Yugi happily cried while running as well.  
Adella and Yugi hugged each other fiercely.  
"Oh Yugi, I'm so sorry for not believing you," Adella said.  
"That's okay mom. I shouldn't have snapped at you like I did," Yugi said.  
"You had every right. I believed in a rumor and refused to realize the truth," Adella said.  
Then they parted as Yami walked up to them. Adella smiled.  
"Thank you for saving my son Yami," Adella said smiling.  
"You don't want to kill him anymore?" Yugi asked.  
"Your mother and her friends came to me Yugi. I knew that they had no intention to harm me," Yami said. "I told you things would turn all all right in the end."  
"They sure did, for all of us," Almont said.  
"Let's go Yugi," Yami said.  
"Okay Yami," Yugi said smiling before getting on Yami's back.  
Yami took off into the sky. Yugi just enjoyed the view as Yami took him through the jungle, the forest, the mountains and more. There were still people who believed in the rumors, but even they would eventually learn the truth about griffins. It was going to be a good life for Yugi and Yami. Yami no longer had to hide his true form from Adella or her colleagues. They welcomed him like a family member now, no matter which form he was in.  
  
  
  
  
  
Well, this is the end of the one-shot fic. This story was 20 typed pages long when I wrote it on Microsoft Word; my longest one-shot fic yet. The next fic I will be updating is Someone's Always Out to get Me. And the poll I mentioned at the end of Sentinel Infiltration, I'm serious about that. I've only gotten two voted so far for Batman, and that's not going to decide what the sequel will be. If I don't get enough votes, I won't write the sequel. Please, give me at least ten votes on whether you want to read Superman, Batman or The Batman/Superman Adventures in a crossover with YGO. That's all I request. 


	2. Sequel Notice

As the title said, this is a sequel notice. The sequel to this story is called The Danger World, and I'll have the first chapter out either Sunday or Monday. Malik's Girl 125, this is for you for asking me very nicely about it so I hope that you will enjoy is as much as you did this story. 


End file.
